Looking at records dating back to 1933, this January is tied with 1937 for the most days with a low temperature 32° or warmer in Providence. There have been 13 days of above-freezing weather (whole 24 hours) in Providence this month. As a whole, the month is running 6.2° warmer than normal, and is on pace to be the 9th warmest January since 1905. A couple of seasonably cool days to finish the month may be enough to nudge it out of the top 10, but it’s been quite warm, nonetheless.
A fast-developing storm south of Block Island may come close enough for some snow showers or flurries on the islands and along the immediate coast on Monday afternoon. Otherwise, it will be a partly to mostly cloudy day with highs in the mid to upper 30s. Monday night looks clear and cold, with lows in the teens to low 20s.
Another disturbance takes a swipe at Southern New England on Tuesday. This one should come close enough for 1-3″ of snow between mid-afternoon and late in the evening. Highs will be in the low 30s on Tuesday. The accumulating snow threat ends by about 11 pm Tuesday, with snow showers possibly lingering inland until late at night.
Expect Wednesday to be the mildest day of the week, but it will not be as warm as some of the weather we had in January. Look for highs near 40 with partly to mostly cloudy skies. It turns colder and stays dry late in the workweek. Highs return to the 30s Thursday and Friday with a blend of clouds and sun, and a gusty breeze.
The early outlook for next weekend calls for dry and cold conditions on Saturday. Clouds may increase on Sunday, and snow or mixed precipitation is possible Sunday night. At this point, I’m leaning towards mainly dry weather, with a better chance of precipitation Monday into Tuesday. The pattern does not look as warm in February as it was in January. If you think we’re done with winter, odds are you’ll be disappointed. While I do not expect a snow blitz like we saw in 2015, I think there will be several chances for accumulating snow in the next 6 weeks.
